1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,990 In this lesson, 2 00:00:00,990 --> 00:00:02,765 we'll discuss change management. 3 00:00:02,765 --> 00:00:04,830 Now in our modern business environments, 4 00:00:04,830 --> 00:00:08,070 we cannot help but to encounter changes in our daily work. 5 00:00:08,070 --> 00:00:10,045 Whether it's introducing new software into our systems 6 00:00:10,045 --> 00:00:12,360 or implementing a new organizational structure 7 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,450 across your corporate network, change is both inescapable 8 00:00:15,450 --> 00:00:17,190 and a necessity for your organization 9 00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:19,432 to be able to continually adapt to our ever-changing needs 10 00:00:19,432 --> 00:00:21,390 inside of our businesses. 11 00:00:21,390 --> 00:00:24,060 But implementing these changes requires precision, 12 00:00:24,060 --> 00:00:25,381 planning, and a structured approach 13 00:00:25,381 --> 00:00:28,260 to avoid creating outages and other significant issues 14 00:00:28,260 --> 00:00:29,540 for your end users. 15 00:00:29,540 --> 00:00:32,400 Now to help control these changes, we often rely 16 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,640 on change management policies and procedures. 17 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,021 Change management is the orchestrated strategy 18 00:00:37,021 --> 00:00:38,816 to transition teams, departments, 19 00:00:38,816 --> 00:00:41,880 or entire organizations from their existing state 20 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,040 to a more desirable future state. 21 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,261 Now, this is pivotal in our organization's operations 22 00:00:46,261 --> 00:00:48,990 because we need to ensure changes are properly controlled 23 00:00:48,990 --> 00:00:50,880 and implemented using a plan. 24 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,011 Otherwise, chaos will occur. 25 00:00:53,011 --> 00:00:55,591 Now, if a change is not properly planned and coordinated, 26 00:00:55,591 --> 00:00:59,190 your employees could resist or even fear that given change. 27 00:00:59,190 --> 00:01:01,381 For example, if you're going to migrate your entire workforce 28 00:01:01,381 --> 00:01:03,271 from an older version of Microsoft Office 29 00:01:03,271 --> 00:01:06,051 to a newer version, this may not seem like such a big deal 30 00:01:06,051 --> 00:01:09,000 if you have a very technologically literate workforce. 31 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,654 But I can tell you from personal experience 32 00:01:10,654 --> 00:01:12,720 that even moving from something as simple 33 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:14,872 as going from one legacy version of Microsoft Office 34 00:01:14,872 --> 00:01:17,560 to something like Microsoft Office 365 35 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:19,272 can really create a lot of confusion 36 00:01:19,272 --> 00:01:21,900 for your less technologically savvy users, 37 00:01:21,900 --> 00:01:23,790 and this will generate an enormous amount of calls 38 00:01:23,790 --> 00:01:26,429 to your support desk if you don't have a solid plan in place 39 00:01:26,429 --> 00:01:29,100 to train all of your users before, during, 40 00:01:29,100 --> 00:01:31,349 and after that change is being implemented. 41 00:01:31,349 --> 00:01:33,209 Now, really at the core of this issue 42 00:01:33,209 --> 00:01:35,250 is that our existing processes 43 00:01:35,250 --> 00:01:37,269 will become disrupted by any kind of change. 44 00:01:37,269 --> 00:01:40,020 And these processes are the things that ensure our company 45 00:01:40,020 --> 00:01:42,570 is functioning efficiently and effectively. 46 00:01:42,570 --> 00:01:44,460 But by implementing change management, 47 00:01:44,460 --> 00:01:46,068 we can ensure that regardless of how large 48 00:01:46,068 --> 00:01:48,180 or small the adjustment that's being introduced 49 00:01:48,180 --> 00:01:49,291 into your organization is, 50 00:01:49,291 --> 00:01:51,780 that it actually will be become seamlessly integrated 51 00:01:51,780 --> 00:01:53,949 into your existing architecture and processes 52 00:01:53,949 --> 00:01:56,009 so that we can maximize the positive outcomes 53 00:01:56,009 --> 00:01:57,336 that we're seeking to achieve 54 00:01:57,336 --> 00:01:59,931 while minimizing any potential disruption. 55 00:01:59,931 --> 00:02:01,457 Now, for a change to occur, 56 00:02:01,457 --> 00:02:03,479 that change must first be approved. 57 00:02:03,479 --> 00:02:05,910 Each organization will create its own processes 58 00:02:05,910 --> 00:02:08,070 and procedures for the approval of changes 59 00:02:08,070 --> 00:02:10,020 inside of your change management process. 60 00:02:10,020 --> 00:02:12,480 But it is important to remember that you can't simply decide 61 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:13,770 to install a piece of software 62 00:02:13,770 --> 00:02:15,989 or change a given configuration on a system 63 00:02:15,989 --> 00:02:19,410 without going through an appropriate approval process. 64 00:02:19,410 --> 00:02:21,600 Additionally, before that change gets approved, 65 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,259 it needs to undergo an assessment process 66 00:02:23,259 --> 00:02:25,320 to determine if the change will add value 67 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,824 to the organization or if it can be implemented successfully 68 00:02:27,824 --> 00:02:29,310 with minimal disruptions 69 00:02:29,310 --> 00:02:31,560 to your business's current operations. 70 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,240 So who is able to approve a change 71 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,091 within a given organization? 72 00:02:35,091 --> 00:02:37,217 Well, usually, this function will be performed 73 00:02:37,217 --> 00:02:41,070 by the CAB, which is the change advisory board. 74 00:02:41,070 --> 00:02:42,510 Now, your change advisory board, 75 00:02:42,510 --> 00:02:44,790 or CAB, also known as the CAB, 76 00:02:44,790 --> 00:02:46,470 it's going to be a body of representatives 77 00:02:46,470 --> 00:02:48,029 from various parts of your organization 78 00:02:48,029 --> 00:02:51,240 that all play a crucial role in evaluating the ramifications 79 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,040 of any proposed changes. 80 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,230 Now, this change advisory board is really focused 81 00:02:55,230 --> 00:02:57,990 on conducting the due diligence on a proposed change 82 00:02:57,990 --> 00:03:00,659 before it's approved and scheduled for implementation. 83 00:03:00,659 --> 00:03:03,480 The change advisory board is responsible for assessing 84 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,989 the viability of the change, its potential impacts, 85 00:03:05,989 --> 00:03:07,500 and whether or not it aligns 86 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:09,900 with the organization's broader objectives. 87 00:03:09,900 --> 00:03:13,200 Now, every proposed change should have a change owner. 88 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:14,539 The change owner is an individual 89 00:03:14,539 --> 00:03:17,211 or sometimes a team of people that's going to be responsible 90 00:03:17,211 --> 00:03:19,860 for the initiation of the change request. 91 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:22,470 This owner is going to be the advocate for the change, 92 00:03:22,470 --> 00:03:24,300 and they're going to be the ones who detail the reasons 93 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:27,090 why that change is necessary, its potential benefits 94 00:03:27,090 --> 00:03:28,979 and the challenges that that change might present 95 00:03:28,979 --> 00:03:30,744 during its implementation. 96 00:03:30,744 --> 00:03:33,810 Now, these changes will not happen in isolation. 97 00:03:33,810 --> 00:03:36,048 After all, we're going to be making a configuration change, 98 00:03:36,048 --> 00:03:37,650 installing a new piece of hardware, 99 00:03:37,650 --> 00:03:40,410 or running some kind of software on our organization systems. 100 00:03:40,410 --> 00:03:42,270 And all of these actions will have an impact 101 00:03:42,270 --> 00:03:44,100 not just on the server or workstation 102 00:03:44,100 --> 00:03:45,090 that's being configured, 103 00:03:45,090 --> 00:03:48,180 but also all across your entire enterprise network. 104 00:03:48,180 --> 00:03:50,520 Now, each change will affect or are affected 105 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,120 by a myriad of other factors within your organization. 106 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,109 So to help understand the impact and effect 107 00:03:56,109 --> 00:03:58,549 that change is going to have on your business operations, 108 00:03:58,549 --> 00:04:00,030 it's really important that you know 109 00:04:00,030 --> 00:04:02,160 who the crucial stakeholders are. 110 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,468 Now, a stakeholder is any person 111 00:04:03,468 --> 00:04:05,931 who has a vested interest in the proposed change. 112 00:04:05,931 --> 00:04:07,571 The stakeholder may have a vested interest 113 00:04:07,571 --> 00:04:10,171 because they're directly impacted by the proposed change 114 00:04:10,171 --> 00:04:11,499 or because they have a role 115 00:04:11,499 --> 00:04:14,040 in its assessment or implementation. 116 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,165 These individuals or teams must be consulted 117 00:04:16,165 --> 00:04:17,491 and their feedback considered 118 00:04:17,491 --> 00:04:19,950 as well as their concerns getting addressed 119 00:04:19,950 --> 00:04:21,870 before you implement a change. 120 00:04:21,870 --> 00:04:24,169 For example, if I want to perform a software update 121 00:04:24,169 --> 00:04:26,864 on our practice exam engine at diontraining.com, 122 00:04:26,864 --> 00:04:28,889 technically, there is nothing that's going to stop me 123 00:04:28,889 --> 00:04:30,930 from pushing out that update to the code 124 00:04:30,930 --> 00:04:32,640 right now as I'm talking to you 125 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:34,890 without asking anybody else's permission. 126 00:04:34,890 --> 00:04:36,569 But that's probably not a good idea 127 00:04:36,569 --> 00:04:37,948 because there are a lot of stakeholders 128 00:04:37,948 --> 00:04:41,100 that will be affected by me implementing that change. 129 00:04:41,100 --> 00:04:43,110 Let's pretend that when I push out the software update 130 00:04:43,110 --> 00:04:45,624 to my server, it's going to require us to reboot that server, 131 00:04:45,624 --> 00:04:48,480 which will have that change to be able to take effect. 132 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,660 But that reboot may take about five minutes to occur. 133 00:04:51,660 --> 00:04:53,739 And that means that none of our students around the world 134 00:04:53,739 --> 00:04:55,650 will be able to take a practice exam 135 00:04:55,650 --> 00:04:57,179 during that five minutes of downtime 136 00:04:57,179 --> 00:04:59,460 while that server is being rebooted. 137 00:04:59,460 --> 00:05:01,260 Similarly, if I push out a new feature 138 00:05:01,260 --> 00:05:03,210 as part of that update, we need to actually train 139 00:05:03,210 --> 00:05:05,730 our end users, which in this case would be our students, 140 00:05:05,730 --> 00:05:07,548 on how to use those new features. 141 00:05:07,548 --> 00:05:09,630 Similarly, we're also going to need to consult 142 00:05:09,630 --> 00:05:11,460 with our student support team to ensure that they know 143 00:05:11,460 --> 00:05:13,714 how to answer any potential questions that might arise 144 00:05:13,714 --> 00:05:15,600 because of this software update. 145 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:17,589 And we may need to send out a message ahead of time 146 00:05:17,589 --> 00:05:19,980 to warn all of our students that our system 147 00:05:19,980 --> 00:05:22,170 is going to be updated on a certain day and time, 148 00:05:22,170 --> 00:05:23,549 and that there's going to be a potential downtime 149 00:05:23,549 --> 00:05:26,310 of up to five minutes during that window. 150 00:05:26,310 --> 00:05:28,680 As you can see, there are going to be technical stakeholders, 151 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,620 like the developers who run the servers and write the code. 152 00:05:31,620 --> 00:05:33,060 There's also going to be business stakeholders 153 00:05:33,060 --> 00:05:34,470 like our student support team. 154 00:05:34,470 --> 00:05:35,979 And we also have end user-based stakeholders 155 00:05:35,979 --> 00:05:38,220 like our students in this example. 156 00:05:38,220 --> 00:05:40,469 And all of these need to be either consulted or informed 157 00:05:40,469 --> 00:05:43,980 of this upcoming software change to our practice exam engine 158 00:05:43,980 --> 00:05:45,696 before we make that change. 159 00:05:45,696 --> 00:05:47,971 Now, an integral part of the change management process 160 00:05:47,971 --> 00:05:50,280 is the impact analysis. 161 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,470 Before setting all the wheels of change in motion 162 00:05:52,470 --> 00:05:54,769 on any proposed change, you really do need to understand 163 00:05:54,769 --> 00:05:56,169 the potential fallout. 164 00:05:56,169 --> 00:05:58,650 You need to ask yourself, what could go wrong? 165 00:05:58,650 --> 00:06:00,650 And if that happened, what would be the immediate effects 166 00:06:00,650 --> 00:06:03,210 to our organization, its business processes, 167 00:06:03,210 --> 00:06:05,250 its reputation, and its users? 168 00:06:05,250 --> 00:06:07,680 How will our long-term operations be impacted? 169 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,527 Are there any unforeseen challenges lurking in the shadows 170 00:06:09,527 --> 00:06:11,292 that might cause an issue for us? 171 00:06:11,292 --> 00:06:13,020 All of these are things that we're going to do 172 00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:14,610 during our impact analysis. 173 00:06:14,610 --> 00:06:16,269 And by conducting that impact analysis, 174 00:06:16,269 --> 00:06:18,390 we're going to try to answer all these questions 175 00:06:18,390 --> 00:06:19,967 so our organization is not just prepared 176 00:06:19,967 --> 00:06:21,789 for the proposed change, but also, 177 00:06:21,789 --> 00:06:24,150 they're poised to be able to maximize the benefits 178 00:06:24,150 --> 00:06:25,710 of that given change. 179 00:06:25,710 --> 00:06:27,150 So remember, change management 180 00:06:27,150 --> 00:06:29,010 is not merely a corporate buzzword, 181 00:06:29,010 --> 00:06:31,137 but it really is a critical process that can help guide you 182 00:06:31,137 --> 00:06:34,380 and your organization safely through any potential changes 183 00:06:34,380 --> 00:06:36,960 or transformations that you need for your business. 184 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,937 While all of our organizations want to improve themself 185 00:06:38,937 --> 00:06:41,406 and progress over time, it is the implementation 186 00:06:41,406 --> 00:06:43,920 of structured changes through the proper assessment 187 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:45,715 and collaborative decision-making process 188 00:06:45,715 --> 00:06:47,910 that's led by your change advisory board 189 00:06:47,910 --> 00:06:49,740 that really is at the center of every change 190 00:06:49,740 --> 00:06:52,185 that we're going to try to implement in our organizations. 191 00:06:52,185 --> 00:06:53,494 Through the diligent application 192 00:06:53,494 --> 00:06:55,145 of these change management principles, 193 00:06:55,145 --> 00:06:58,083 organizations can not only adapt but thrive. 194 00:06:58,083 --> 00:07:00,810 And all the while, they'll be able to turn challenges 195 00:07:00,810 --> 00:07:02,520 into opportunities and uncertainties 196 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:03,470 surrounding a proposed change 197 00:07:03,470 --> 00:07:05,583 into a defined pathway forward.